Back of Ormond Atkinson's birth certificate, c.1916

Hand prints were used by Customs officials to identify Chinese Australians on their return from overseas. Many Chinese Australians objected to the practice. Hand prints were taken on Certificates Exempting from Dictation Test (CEDTs) and on birth certificates such as this one. The back of this certificate, belonging to Ormond Atkinson, was certified with photographs and his hand print. The handwritten comments note his travels to and from Australia between 1913 and 1916.

This record can be viewed in the National Archives RecordSearch database.